RNA-seq of scarab beetles under high- or low-nutrient

This study investigates the evolutionary mechanisms of horn plasticity through transcriptomic analysis of the postero-dorsal head epidermis in three Onthophagus species (O. rectecornutus, O. sagittarius, O. bivertex). Larvae were reared under high- or low-nutrition conditions, with tissue sampled at the late prepupal stage. The design, including females from all three species and males from O. rectecornutus, enables inter-species and intra-species comparisons.